Soc.Culture.Jewish NewsgroupsFrequently Asked Questions
and Answers

Question 21.1.12:Entering the Covenant: What about babies who are
stillborn or die shortly after birth with respect to pidyon haben?

A child who dies before the month is up could not have become subject to
pidyon haben. However, if it was a natural birth, it is an "opener of the
womb", and any subsequent child would not be subject to pidyon haben.

The laws of pidyon haben involve only the state of development of the
miscarried fetus, not the location in which it was carried. In the mishnah, the
debate is between Rabbi Meir who says that the fetus must have eyes in order to
be considered and the majority of sages who say it must be human-looking. (The
Talmud's discussion is in Bechoros [logically enough, the tractate named
"Firstborns"] 46a.) In practice, there is a large grey area, and it can end up
being a rabbi's judgement call.

The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt
to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family
of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic
movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy
and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is
always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place
to start.

Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your questions.
If it doesn't, please drop Email to questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer
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